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Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Plant is a pumped-storage
/ref> Water is pumped from Nickajack Lake on the Tennessee River at the base of Raccoon Mountain to a storage reservoir built at the top of the mountain. The reservoir at the top of the mountain covers , with a dam that is high and long, the largest rock-fill dam ever built by TVA. It takes 28 hours to fill the upper reservoir. During periods of high electric demand, water can be released from the reservoir through a tunnel drilled through the center of the mountain, driving electric generators in an underground hydroelectric plant. The plant has a maximum power output of and can generate for up to 22 hours. The plant is used most days and serves as an important element for peak power generation and grid balancing in the TVA system. The plant was idled in March 2012 due to cracks in the generators' rotors. The plant came entirely back on line in April 2014.
hydroelectric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...
underground power station
An underground power station is a type of hydroelectric power station constructed by excavating the major components (e.g. machine hall, penstocks, and tailrace) from rock, rather than the more common surface-based construction methods.
One or mor ...
in Marion County, just west of Chattanooga
Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...
in the U.S. state of Tennessee.
The facility is owned and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Construction was started in 1970 and was completed in 1978.TVA: Raccoon Mountain Pumped-Storage Plant/ref> Water is pumped from Nickajack Lake on the Tennessee River at the base of Raccoon Mountain to a storage reservoir built at the top of the mountain. The reservoir at the top of the mountain covers , with a dam that is high and long, the largest rock-fill dam ever built by TVA. It takes 28 hours to fill the upper reservoir. During periods of high electric demand, water can be released from the reservoir through a tunnel drilled through the center of the mountain, driving electric generators in an underground hydroelectric plant. The plant has a maximum power output of and can generate for up to 22 hours. The plant is used most days and serves as an important element for peak power generation and grid balancing in the TVA system. The plant was idled in March 2012 due to cracks in the generators' rotors. The plant came entirely back on line in April 2014.
Recreation
Raccoon Mountain is used for hiking, walking, running, road and mountain biking. It hosts a marathon, half marathon, double half marathon, relay, 5K and 10K race each year.References
External links
* {{authority control Dams completed in 1978 Energy infrastructure completed in 1978 Pumped-storage hydroelectric power stations in the United States Hydroelectric power plants in Tennessee Reservoirs in Tennessee Dams in Tennessee Tennessee Valley Authority dams Buildings and structures in Marion County, Tennessee 1978 establishments in Tennessee Landforms of Marion County, Tennessee Underground power stations